Pretty significant team leaves the Finnish SM-Liiga league to join the KHL.
http://www.jokerit.com/uutiset/?nid=2428
Quote:
Sports businessman and all-round entrepreneur Harry “Hjallis” Harkimo has sold Hartwall Areena to the Russian-Finnish businessman Gennady Timchenko and the Russian-Finnish Rotenberg family. The deal also opens the doors for the ice-hockey team Jokerit to the Russian KHL League, which is currently considered the second toughest after NHL.
Gennady Timchenko is an energy and logistics businessman who has been active in Finland for a long time, he is also chairman of KHL and SKA of St Petersburg. Brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg are operating in Finland in the background of e.g. the Spa and Congress Hotel Långvik. Together they have established a company called Arena Events Oy for the administration of Hartwall Areena. Mr. Harkimo will continue to lead the Jokerit team and has also otherwise committed himself to the operations of Hartwall Areena for the next five years.
Jokerit will remain the main tenant of the entertainment venue, playing one more season in the Finnish national league. In the autumn of 2014, the team will move over to the KHL League with support from the new business partners.
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If more teams from the SM-Liiga joins, we could see all Finnish prospects be KHL prospects.
Also got to wonder when a SEL team will go join the KHL.